Glen Ellen isn’t exactly unknown to dedicated foodies. In the unincorporated Sonoma County enclave with a population of about 1,000, New American restaurant Glen Ellen Star has been a culinary draw for nearly 15 years. It’s been awarded a Michelin Bib Gourmand for 13 of those years. And in 2025, chef-owner Ari Weiswasser was a James Beard Award semifinalist for Best Chef: California.
“People come to Glen Ellen for the Star, definitely,” said Erin Christie, who has worked down the street from the Star, at The Saloon at the Jack London Lodge, for more than two decades. “But we’ve got all these other places that each offer something different.”
The origins of Glen Ellen, long known for winemaking, can be traced to the 1870s; its namesake, Ellen Mary Stuart, was the wife of early Sonoma Valley settler Charles Vaincoeur Stuart. For culinary-minded travelers, however, the village about 50 miles north of San Francisco often gets overshadowed by Sonoma and Healdsburg, which have three-Michelin-starred restaurants in Enclos and SingleThread, respectively.
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Glen Ellen, Calif., on Aug. 13, 2026.
Lizzy Myers/SFGATE
While I was planning a recent trip to Glen Ellen, however, my dining research yielded more new-to-us contenders than my husband and I could fit into our itinerary. Artisanal treats from a French-born pastry chef, burgers at a historic creekside spot and a weekly fried chicken special made the short list. All are situated on Arnold Drive — a two-lane road, lined with residential and commercial buildings, that runs through Glen Ellen, including its teeny downtown.
Les Pascals bakery was a must once I realized that its co-owners, husband and wife Pascal and Pascale Merle, were formerly part of the team behind one of my Carmel go-tos, Lafayette Bakery & Cafe. They met while working at Maison Lambert patisserie in Lyon, France; he was a pastry chef, she worked in the front of the house.
They landed in Carmel in 2013 and, a few years later, returned to France for personal reasons. Christine Hansson, a regular at Lafayette, learned that the couple was unsure about coming back to California and suggested they could start anew in a building she owned in Glen Ellen. “If we would look at it,” Pascal recalled, “she could build the inside to suit.”
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Meringues from Les Pascals in Glen Ellen, Calif., on Aug. 13, 2026.
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Customers enjoy coffee and pastries at Les Pascals in Glen Ellen, Calif., on Aug. 13, 2026.
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Strawberry macarons from Les Pascals in Glen Ellen, Calif., on Aug. 13, 2026.
Lizzy Myers/SFGATE
In 2018, with the venue renovated and the Merles settling into Glen Ellen, Les Pascals opened, offering pastries, breads, sweets, sandwiches and more. Look for the yellow building with green trim and frequent lines out the door.
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“We want the client to have a truly authentic product and experience,” Pascal said. While he helms the kitchen, his wife is “the face of the pâtisserie,” and their 26-year-old son, Enzo, has also worked at Les Pascals since the beginning.
When asked for some of their favorites, both Pascal and Pascale picked the plain croissant ($3.95) and pain au chocolate ($4.15). We tried those and a ham and cheese croissant ($6.85). I’m partial to savory breakfast items, so for me, the ham and cheese was a favorite — blanketed with Monterey Jack and filled with a béchamel sauce and Black Forest ham.
Almond croissants from Les Pascals in Glen Ellen, Calif., on Aug. 13, 2026.
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From left, Pascal, Pascale and Enzo Merle pose for a portrait outside their pâtisserie, Les Pascals, in Glen Ellen, Calif., on Aug. 13, 2026.
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Bread is baked fresh daily at Les Pascals in Glen Ellen, Calif., on Aug. 13, 2026.
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Since Pascale also singled out the tarte aux framboises ($5.95), we got one to take away. With a golden brown, buttery shell holding vanilla pastry cream and fresh raspberries, it was devoured after a hike at Jack London State Historic Park.
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In 1905, Jack London and his wife, Charmian, also a writer, purchased land in Glen Ellen, dubbed Beauty Ranch. Along with adjoining properties they subsequently bought, the ranch is now part of a 1,500-acre state park that includes a cottage where he wrote, a house-turned-museum she built after his death in 1916 and over 29 miles of trails.
The park’s website lists some local recommendations. The nearby Saloon at the Jack London Lodge, where Christie is a bartender, is described as serving “arguably the best burger in town.” On a warm afternoon, its patio further enticed.
The Saloon at the Jack London Lodge in Glen Ellen, Calif., on Aug. 13, 2026.
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The Saloon at the Jack London Lodge is a historic tavern in Glen Ellen, Calif., seen on Aug. 13, 2026.
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The Saloon at the Jack London Lodge is a historic tavern in Glen Ellen, Calif., seen on Aug. 13, 2026.
Lizzy Myers/SFGATE
The restaurant occupies a brick landmark constructed in 1905 by Joshua Chauvet, an early Glen Ellen settler and entrepreneur. According to a 1906 Sonoma Valley Expositor article, “When J. Chauvet had finished his fine two-story brick block, Hardman & Cobb leased the ground floor and put in a select stock of general merchandise and groceries.”
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Artifacts in the basement suggest it was a speakeasy during Prohibition. By the 1950s, the building housed chef Jack Cardini’s restaurant. (The 22-room Jack London Lodge is a separate structure.)
The Saloon accommodates about 50 inside; the dog-friendly patio easily seats 100 more. Customers grab a menu at the bar and order with the bartender. After ordering drinks and a London Burger ($19) — which comes with fries, a salad or house-made potato chips — we sat ourselves outside, at a table overlooking Sonoma Creek.
The hamburger from The Saloon in Glen Ellen, Calif., on Aug. 13, 2026.
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The bar area at The Saloon in Glen Ellen, Calif., on Aug. 13, 2026.
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Pan-roasted wild salmon from The Saloon in Glen Ellen, Calif., on Aug. 13, 2026.
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Christie estimated that burgers account for up to 90% of food orders, with the same cook, Florentino Vargas, helping ensure their consistency for nearly 30 years. “They’re like a really good version of a burger you might make at home,” she said. The well-seasoned, charbroiled burger — with an Angus beef patty that has an 80-20 meat-to-fat ratio — was indeed simple and satisfying, and the setting idyllic.
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While the fish and chips ($22) is also a crowd-pleaser, general manager Jaime Boyd swears by the pan-roasted salmon, accompanied by roasted potatoes and seasonal veggies ($27). Wines by Glen Ellen’s esteemed Benziger Family Winery — which is just a mile from The Saloon and offers tours and tastings — are top sellers.
After lunch, we kept the outdoor activities going at Sonoma Botanical Garden, where a 1-mile loop currently includes the eight sculptures comprising “Spirit Guides: Fantastical Creatures from the Workshop of Jacobo and María Ángeles.” The exhibition of colorful, patterned hybrid animals inspired by the Zapotec calendar — like a coyote-fish and deer-butterfly — is on view through Sept. 20.
For dinner, we were back on Arnold Drive. This time at Jack London Village.
Glen Ellen, Calif., on Aug. 13, 2026.
Lizzy Myers/SFGATE
According to the Glen Ellen Historical Society, in the 1830s, General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo received a land grant from the Mexican government and built a sawmill at the conflux of Asbury and Sonoma creeks. The sawmill’s next owner, Joshua Chauvet, converted it into a gristmill, which he later shuttered to pivot to winemaking.
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Per county agency Permit Sonoma, in 1913, the winery was sold to Felice Pagani. The property stayed in the Pagani family until 1969, when Charles Beardsley and David Fritschi acquired it to create the art, food and wine complex that became known as Jack London Village.
In a former concrete-block winery building on the premises, Songbird Parlour restaurant has been a tenant since 2024. Proprietor Lauren Kershner initially utilized the space for her catering company, Goodness Gracious, including staging events and pop-ups. At the latter, the fried chicken was especially popular.
“We had this gorgeous space, but most of the time, it wasn’t being used,” she explained. “We loved hosting events; it was like people were coming into our house and we got to cook for them. By opening a restaurant, we get to do that all the time.”
The dining room features a soaring wood-clad pitched ceiling, green walls with panel molding and an enormous floral mural behind the open kitchen.
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The dining room at Songbird Parlour in Glen Ellen, Calif., on Aug. 13, 2026.
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The exterior of Songbird Parlour in Glen Ellen, Calif., on Aug. 13, 2026.
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The dining room at Songbird Parlour in Glen Ellen, Calif., on Aug. 13, 2026.
Lizzy Myers/SFGATE
I made sure our trip to Glen Ellen included a Sunday night because I wanted to try the fried chicken at Songbird, which is available only on Sundays. According to Brian Gomez, who has been with the restaurant since day one and was promoted to executive chef this summer, the chicken makes up about 75% of Sunday orders. “It’s always a hit,” he said, noting that it does sell out.
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Boneless, skinless thighs from Mary’s are brined in buttermilk, Calabrian chili, dried herbs and alliums for 24 hours. The poultry is next dredged and massaged in all-purpose flour, tapioca starch and cornstarch, and then it’s par-fried. As orders come in, the kitchen fries the chicken again and finishes it with Maldon salt and chili-flecked hot honey.
The result is flavorful, tender and crunchy. Although my husband and I shared an order, we saw tables of two and four where every person got their own fried chicken ($34), which is served with house-made focaccia and a farm-fresh side.
Pacific halibut, charentais melon aguachile with tomato granita and chiltepín chile from Songbird Parlour in Glen Ellen, Calif., on Aug. 13, 2026.
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Executive chef Brian Gomez poses for a portrait in front of Songbird Parlour in Glen Ellen, Calif., on Aug. 13, 2026.
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Hot honey fried chicken with farm-fresh salad and house-made focaccia is served on Sundays only at Songbird Parlour in Glen Ellen, Calif., as seen on Aug. 13, 2026.
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Changing up the latter allows the kitchen to incorporate seasonal ingredients, as well as stay creative, said Gomez, who recently devised a side of shaved fennel salad with candied walnuts, a tamarind vinaigrette and cubed feta.
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A five-course $105 chef’s tasting menu further showcases Songbird’s produce-centric approach that taps into relationships with local farmers like those at Sunray and Oak Hill. Gomez told me that the fried chicken is so beloved, diners have been known to request it for their final course — and he is happy to oblige.
While Songbird is reason enough for me to go back to Glen Ellen, there are others. I took notes as Christie, the bartender at The Saloon, rattled off places to try: Yeti for Indian and Nepalese cuisine, Garden Court Cafe for eggs Benedict, Poppy for French-inspired fare, Glen Ellen Inn for its martini bar. “Everyone kind of has their own specialty,” she said.
Glen Ellen Star may have put the town on the culinary map, but Glen Ellen is no longer just a little detour from the more established Sonoma hot spots. It’s a worthy destination on its own.
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Dining and Cooking